Pearl Quality

IMPERIAL PEARL QUALITY STANDARDS
	COMMERCIAL GRADE (Not sold by Imperial)	A	AA	AAA
GENERAL	NOT GEM QUALITY Represents 90% of annual pearl production and most of the pearls for sale (especially on the internet). If a pearl fails even one of the tests below, it does not meet our standards.	EVERY-DAY WEAR QUALITY Beautiful, shiny, lustrous round pearls. Though not perfect, any issues are not noticeable from conversation-distance.	SPECIAL-OCCASION QUALITY Stunning pearls that appear nearly perfect to the untrained eye, and require up-close, hands-on examination to see any flaw.	HEIRLOOM QUALITY Gorgeous pearls that will invariably impress. Generally, only a trained pearl professional will see any flaw.
SURFACE	Any imperfection that breaks the nacre. Any imperfection that is deep or exhibits dark coloration. Any pearl where more than 25% of the surface shows any imperfection at all.	No more than 25% of surface has any imperfection. Any imperfections are minor, do not break surface and are not deep/noticeable from a short distance.	No more than 10% of the surface has any imperfection at all. Any imperfections are slight.	No more than 5% of the surface has any imperfection at all. Any imperfections are so slight that they are typically not observable to the untrained eye.
LUSTER	Any 'chalky' appearance. Irregular/uneven luster.	Good Luster. Glass-like shine and reflectivity.	Very Good Luster. Excellent near-metallic shine and reflectivity.	Excellent Luster. Metallic/Mirror-like surface.
NACRE	Any break/gap in nacre. Any areas of thin/irregular nacre.	Thick and solid nacre coating without breaks or variation in thickness.	Thick and solid nacre coating without breaks or variation in thickness.	Very thick and solid nacre coating without breaks or variation in thickness.
SHAPE	Does not accurately disclose shape. Irregularly shaped pearls are not noted as "baroque" (highly irregular), oval, off-round (noticeably not round) or near-round (close to round, but not 100%).	Unless otherwise stated, appear round from conversation-distance. Not notably off-round except upon close inspection. Oval or off-round specimens are clearly noted as such. For baroque, natural and other specialty pearls, shape is accurately noted.	Appear perfectly round except upon close inspection or to the trained eye. For baroque, natural and other specialty pearls, shape is accurately noted.	Perfectly Round. For baroque, natural and other specialty pearls, shape is accurately noted.

While many factors affect pearl quality, two of the most vital are luster and surface quality. Roundness is also a key factor.

Pearl Luster

Pearls of AAA quality have mirror-like luster with metallic sheen. They exhibit a ‘depth’ to their luster (often called ‘orient’) that makes them seem as if you are looking deep into the pearl.
Pearls of AA quality have very good luster with a near-metallic/mirror-like effect. Though slightly less reflective and deep than AAA, they are still stunningly beautiful and shiny
Pearls of A quality have good luster without variation or ‘chalky’ areas. They are highly reflective and exhibit “depth.”
Pearls below A quality level will have “milky” or “chalky” area and uneven luster.

Pearl Surface

AAA quality pearls have virtually no surface blemishes and exhibit a very thick, even coat of nacre. Any blemishes that do exist will be tiny and barely noticeable, if noticeable at all, to the untrained eye.
AA quality pearls have very slight surface blemishes with a very thick, even coat of nacre. Very small dimples or spots that are difficult to notice without very close examination
A quality pearls have some surface blemishes, but most of the surface is clean and exhibits thick, even nacre. The blemishes that exist will not create any chips or breaks in the surface, nor be noticeable at conversation-distance.
Pearls below A quality have blemishes that are noticeable at any distance. ANY break in the “nacre” surface is sub-A quality no matter how nice the remaining surface may be.

Pearl Roundness

AAA quality pearls will be perfectly round
AA quality pearls may be ever-so-slightly off-round, but difficult to detect to the untrained eye.
A quality pearls may be near-round to the trained eye or upon up-close examination, but will typically appear totally round from conversation-distance
Pearls below A quality are off-round in shape, at a level to be noticeable at ‘handshake” distance.

Note that for pearls presented as button, baroque, fireball, or other ‘fancy’ shape, roundness is not part of the quality grading: In that case the quality rating would refer to the luster and surface of the pearl, not the roundness.
PLEASE NOTE: IMPERIAL PEARL does consider pearls below our “A” quality rating to be jewelry-grade pearls, and we do not sell them.

Source:
“Pearl Valuation.” CPAA. The Cultured Pearl Association of America, Inc, 2014. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.

Products

Posts & Pages

Pearl Quality